One of the joys of moving past the basics of astrology is learning about all the nuances of your natal chart and the many planets and signs that figure into your personality. Take an even closer look at your birth chart, and you’ll notice that the planets aren’t just located in certain signs; they’re also each placed in one of 12 sectors or houses of astrology, which reflect different arenas of life. But because the planets are in constant motion, they’re not typically evenly spread across a chart, leaving certain sectors without a planet. Cue: having an empty house in astrology.

Knowing what you know about houses and how they reflect different aspects of life, upon spotting one of these empty or blank houses in your own chart, you might assume that this means you’re missing a particular planet—and, in turn, missing some essential part of your personality reflected in this cosmic blueprint. But, rest assured, this is not actually the case.

“It’s impossible to not have a planet represented in your chart,” says astrologer Ambi Kavanagh. “At any given point in time—including the one at which you were born—a planet is in one part of the zodiac, so there’s no chance that you were born without a particular planet’s influence.”

“At any given point in time—including the one at which you were born—a planet is in one part of the zodiac, so there’s no chance that you were born without a particular planet’s influence.”—Ambi Kavanagh, astrologer

As astrologer Maria Sofia Marmanides puts it, all a planet in any astrological house means is that its particular energy will influence that area of your life more. “You’re going to experience all of the things happening in the twelve houses, so a planet being in a house means you have a more acute focus in that area,” she says. But a planet’s absence doesn’t mean nothing is happening for you in that house.

Moreover, she says not to look at empty planets as proof that nothing of note is happening in that realm of your life. For example, a 10th house Venus placement signals that your career might touch on certain Venusian qualities, like being very artistic or fashionable—not having any planet in this house doesn’t mean you’re not going to have a career.

The relationship between planets, signs, and houses

As a refresher, astrological houses symbolize the many different areas of life. For instance, the 7th house in astrology governs close romantic and platonic relationships, while the 10th house rules over career and public reputation. The 8th house in astrology is about sex, death, and rebirth, while the6th house in astrology reflects your habits and routines.

Each of these houses is ruled by a zodiac sign, meaning that sign and house vibe particularly well together, along with a ruling planet. According to Marmanides, every house will also always have a sign in it. Keep in mind that you can have house placements in planets or signs that are not their ruling ones.

Here is a quick refresher on which planets and zodiac signs are associated with each astrological house:

• Sun: 5th house of pleasure and creativity; Leo
• Moon: 4th house of family and home; Cancer
• Venus: 2nd house of personal possessions and finances and 7th house of relationships; Taurus and Libra
• Mercury: 3rd house of communication and 6th house of routines and rituals; Gemini and Virgo
• Mars: 1st house of the self;Aries
• Saturn: 10th house of career and reputation; Capricorn
• Jupiter: 9th house of long-distance travel and expansion; Sagittarius
• Uranus: 11th house of friendship and the collective; Aquarius
• Neptune: 12th house of the subconscious;Pisces
• Pluto: 8th house of sex, death, and transformation; Scorpio

The easiest way to understand the influence of these different houses is to consider your entire chart as a stage production: “The planets are the characters, the signs are the costumes they’re wearing, and the houses are the stages or areas of life where they’re lived out,” astrologer Chani Nicholas, previously told Well+Good. “Planets express their energy in the style of the sign they are in and show up prominently in whatever domain of life, or house, they are located [in].”

“The planets are the characters, the signs are the costumes they’re wearing, and the houses are the stages or areas of life where they’re lived out.”—Chani Nicholas, astrologer

For example, someone with their sun in Aries located in their 10th house of career would likely have a core identity (sun) that has some degree of intensity or fire (Aries), which tends to show up most often in their work ethic or career passions (10th house). But if you were to check your chart and find that you lack any planets in that house, that doesn’t mean that you lack direction, energy, or some other version of cosmic juice when it comes to your professional life.

What causes an empty house in astrology?

If all the planets are moving through the zodiac at all times, then you might still be wondering why you may have an empty house and how that’s reflected in your astrological chart. To understand why, consider the fact that there are only 10 planets in astrology (the usual eight from astronomy, including Pluto, plus the sun and the moon), and there are 12 houses in astrology, so that difference means everyone will have at least two empty houses in their chart, even if the 10 planets were spread evenly across the rest of them.

But even that distribution is unlikely because of the way that planets move through the sky in relationship to each other. Given how close Mercury and Venus are to the sun, for instance, they often show up in the same house as the sun or the one right next to it, increasing the chances for multiple planets to appear in some of your houses—and leaving more of the other houses empty as a result.

“It’s something that people are fearful about, but they shouldn’t be.”—Ambi Kavanagh, astrologer

In astrology, having an empty house (or several, in some cases) in your birth chart isn’t anything to worry about. “It’s something that people are fearful about, but they shouldn’t be,” Kavanagh says. If you have a planet in a house, it means that the planet’s traits and themes are infused into that house’s life areas. If it’s empty, it simply means that you may not have the energy of a specific planet infused into a life area. But that doesn’t mean you won’t experience any “action” in relation to the sectors of life ruled by that house.

How do I know if I have an empty house in my astrological chart?

To find out if you have an empty house(s) in your birth chart, plug the details of your birth like the location, date, and time into a free chart generator like this one. Any readout will clearly list whether you have any empty houses. To figure out which signs are in each of your houses, it’s particularly important to know your rising sign, or ascendant sign; your rising sign is always your first house placement, which you can use to count forward through the zodiac to figure out your other house placements.

For example, someone who is a Sagittarius rising will have the fire sign in their first house, Capricorn in their second house, Aquarius in their third, and so on. You can use these placements to “fill your house,” says Marmanides, by looking to the traits and movements of the sign and its ruling planet in your empty house. For example, if you have no planets in your third house but you have Aquarius there, you can glean info about your communication methods and tendencies from looking at the air sign’s traits and the transits of its ruling planet, Neptune.

Why an empty house in your astrological chart isn’t a reason to panic

If having an empty house—or several empty houses—in your birth chart is prompting some bitter feelings, consider this: Even an empty house in astrology is governed by a planetary ruler, which can influence activity in that house’s relevant domains of life. So even if no planetary influences are activating your 1st house, for example, it doesn’t mean you lack self-awareness or are subjected to identity crises—this is actually where your ascendant or rising sign is located, and it can actually give you important intel into how others recognize you off-rip.

To find which sign (and their corresponding ruling planet) governs each house, pull up the circular version of your natal chart (you can plug in your birth date and time here to get yours), and then locate the sign on the cusp of an empty house. Whatever planet rules that sign also rules that house in your chart, lending insight into how these areas of life will manifest for you.

For instance, if you find that your seventh house of relationships is empty, but it has Libra on the cusp, then the ruler of your seventh house is also Libra’s ruler: Venus, the planet of love and affection. From there, you’d identify where Venus lies in your chart to understand its influence. If it’s located in your ninth house of travel and broadening horizons and in Sagittarius, for example, then you might suspect that you could meet a significant other while on a trip or by way of a cultural experience. In this case, your empty seventh house is meaningfully connected to your ninth house (and not an indicator of being doomed on the relationship front).

The second reason why in astrology, an empty house won’t leave you lacking in certain life areas is that planets are transiting in the sky at all times, and your natal chart simply reflects one moment in time—”a screenshot of the sky above us at the moment of birth,” says astrologer Chani Nicholas. So, even if certain houses of yours were, in fact, empty of planets when you were born, they’ll still be populated by various transiting planets throughout your lifetime.

“Transits begin at the moment we are born, and planets will dance through the empty houses of our charts on a regular basis, activating those houses and triggering events or emotions therein,” says Weiss. For example, a lengthy Pluto transit could have the transformative planet parked in one of your empty houses for years, whereas Jupiter could lend its optimistic vibe to another empty house for a few months at a time. And planets like love-oriented Venus and communication-focused Mercury (which orbit more quickly) visit all of our houses—including empty ones—multiple times a year.

What it means when you have an empty house in astrology

Even an empty house in astrology gets “hot planetary action at regular intervals,” says Weiss. And any of that action could spark poignant happenings in the areas of life over which those houses rule. Some may argue that empty houses could even indicate that the affected area of life won’t experience extra pressure, whereas some might if you have a malefic planet, like Saturn or Pluto, located in them.

Below, astrologer Erin River Sunday explains what it means having an empty house in astrology means, and how these influences helps navigate your life path.

1st House of the self

If your 1st house is empty, “there might not be any noticeable personality and/or physical traits that make you stand out from the crowd,” explains astrologer Erin River Sunday. “You aren’t too self-focused and don’t necessarily need to be self-motivated.” In other words, you could feel secure in who you are, or don’t feel the need to prove yourself to others.

2nd House of personal possessions and finances

When the 2nd house is empty, Sunday says there’s not too much pressure or concentrated energy surrounding finances. Maybe material comforts or you’re not particularly interested in financial achievement. “You’re simply not money motivated and it isn’t a central focus of your life’s journey,” says Sunday.

3rd House of communication

If there are no planets occupying your 3rd house, it’s likely that you don’t ruminate on your thoughts or let the hustle of everyday life consume you. Per Sunday, “When the 3rd house is empty, you don’t focus on the local community or daily tasks any more than necessary.” That, and you might not have an interest in cultivating a tight-knit relationship with siblings, she explains.

4th House of family and home

With the 4th house being empty, you might have a disconnected home life, and estranged family members or your life path will naturally shed these relationships as you focus on other things you value. “When the 4th house is empty, your lineage/home life isn’t a place of focused effort,” explains Sunday. “That’s not to say it’s inherently easy, but there’s not a preoccupation with your family life.”

5th House of pleasure and creativity

If your 5th house is empty, this could mean that you’re not too concerned about having children. “That isn’t to say you’ll never have them, but you aren’t driven to center your energy around them,” says Sunday. Or, that you aren’t into chasing pleasures.

6th House of routines and rituals

Sunday explains that if your 6th house is empty, it could mean that you take your physical health and well-being for granted. You might unknowingly be neglecting your self-care, too. “Without a focus on any planets here, your well-being is likely humming in the background,” she explains.

7th House of relationships

No, your relationships aren’t cursed if your 7th house is empty—it just means that you aren’t too preoccupied with your partnerships. “Of course, partnerships will happen, but they aren’t a central focus in the life’s story,” explains Sunday. All this to say, you might feel more secure if things should go awry in this area, or if you find you’re unlucky in love.

8th House of sex, death, and transformation

With the 8th house surrounding shared resources, Sunday says that they might not be a priority if planets are missing from this house. “While collaboration is certainly possible, it isn’t a make-it-or-break-it situation to merge with partners,” says Sunday. You might feel comfortable in sharing your world with others, or that it just isn’t top of mind when it comes to your personal values.

9th House of long-distance travel and expansion

If the 9th house is empty, you might feel content with where you are geographically, with little to no desire to explore beyond what you know and where you’ve been. “International travel might not be high on the to-do list,” says Sunday. “Travel and higher education are of course still possibilities, but you might like to stay living closer to home.”

10th House of career and reputation

When the 10th house is empty, you’re less likely to be concerned about professional matters. “While work and public image can still be sustained, it isn’t an extreme focus and you care less about others’ opinions,” says Sunday. That’s not to say that you’re lazy or lack ambition, but maybe your priority is more intrinsic than extrinsically-based.

11th House of friendship and the collective

If the 11th house is empty, it doesn’t mean that your friendships or community will be stagnant, but it can portray a “take it or leave it” attitude, explains Sunday. “There is no strong motivation for group involvement and friendships are generally stable,” she adds.

12th House of the subconscious

You’re not totally attached to the supernatural realms of life, like the subconscious or fantasies, if the 12th house is empty. In fact, Sunday says it might indicate that you’re generally a grounded person, rooted in reality. “You aren’t as likely to get carried away in fantasy and imagination, but might also struggle with listening to your intuition,” explains Sunday.